The thoughts and musings of Larry Snyder – a disciple of Jesus Christ attempting to live all of life Coram Deo ("before the face of God").

Archive for April, 2017

I had the privilege of preaching on Philippians 1:1-2 this morning. Here is a summary of my sermon in one sentence: Our identity as Christians is that we are slaves and saints who have been blessed by God with grace and peace.

I had the privilege this morning of preaching on Acts 16:6-40 as I begin a new series in the book of Philippians. Here is a summary of my sermon in one sentence: In the beginning of the church in Philippi, the sovereignty of God is pervasive and undeniable.

“Almighty God and Father, grant unto us, because we have to go through much strife on this earth, the strength of Thy Holy Spirit, in order that we may courageously go through the fire, and through the water, and that we may put ourselves under thy rule that we may go to meet death in full confidence of thy assistance and without fear.

Grant us also that we may bear all hatred and enmity of mankind, until we have gained the last victory, and that we may at last come to that blessed rest which thy only begotten Son has acquired for us through his blood. Amen”

This morning I had the privilege of preaching on Romans 4:25. Here is a summary of my sermon in one sentence: Both the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ are necessary for our sins to be forgiven and for us to be declared righteous by God, with repentance and belief in Christ being absolutely necessary to experience those benefits.

This morning I had the privilege of preaching on the Triumphal Entry of Jesus into Jerusalem from Psalm 2. Here is a summary of my sermon in one sentence: God responded to the rebellion of fallen humanity by installing His Son as King – submit to Him while there’s still time.

I had the privilege of preaching on 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 this morning. A one-sentence summary of my sermon is: God’s design for gender and sexuality is being restored in those whom He has graciously saved and who are in the process of being sanctified.

Psalm 136:1 ends with the phrase “for his steadfast love endures forever.” It’s repeated at the end of every verse – all 26 of them! One of the most basic rules of interpreting the Scriptures is to pay attention to what’s repeated. So if something – a phrase in this case – is repeated that many times, the Lord wants us to pay attention to it.

The author of Psalm 136 makes statements about who God is and what He’s done in the first half of every verse. Then, in the second half, his repeated reminder is stated – “for his steadfast love endures forever.”

God’s love for His people is constant, consistent, and steady. It never fails, ends, or runs out. We can count on that, absolutely and without reservation.

Why would the psalmist repeat “for his steadfast love endures forever” so many times? Because we forget it, especially when we’re in the middle of a trial. Because we don’t really believe it, or we have a hard time believing it. Whatever the case, we need to hear it over and over again. Praise God for His indescribable gift!